Car stabilizer



July 30, 1935. E. G. GOODWIN CAR STABILIZER Filed March 30, 1932 ArrRN Patented July- 3o, 1935 UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE CAR STABILIZER Ernest G. Goodwin, Pelham, N. Y., assignor to Standard Coupler Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey This invention relates to car stabilizers and has for its principal object the provision of a snubbing device which, while producing snubbing action and allowing lateral motion, is applicable to existing trucks without changing the side frame.

A further object of the present invention consists in the provision of a car stabilizer in which the snubbing pressure instead of being directed against the columns in a direction to separate them is directed to the inside and outside faces of the sideframe columns, in this way avoiding all additional bending or tension stresses in the co1- urnns because the forces exerted, as just stated, oppose each other and consequently the compressing eifect between the two snubbing shoes is not so great as to injure the existing standard frames, the columns of which are more than suilicient in strength to resist this compressing eifect.

A feaure of the invention lies in the provision of a liner which can be anchored to each column for use with the present device but which anchor can readily be removed in the event of applying a standard bolster as, for example, in case of emergency.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the return of the bolster to mid-position in the present device is accomplishedby the unequal compressionof the inside and outside springs, this being caused by the movement 'of the bolster to the left or to the right as the case may be.

A further feature is the provisionof a plurality of rollers, preferably four, between each bolster end and the shoes, arranged in pairs on each shoe, this doubling of the rollers not only increasing the area of contact but also minimizing the tendency of the rollers to embed themselves.

In the device illustrated, the ends of the bolsters are narrowed slightly to permit the use of the f liners which take the shoe snubbing load when using existing side frames, but when both new frames and new bolsters are used, the latter will f receive an A. R. A. bolster without removing the liners.

As in previous devices of my own,'the snubbing eect is proportionate to the load supported, the desirability of which has been pointed out in earlier cases. f

Other features of the invention relate 'more particularly to details and will be ascertained by reference to the claims, it being understood that the several features heretofore mentioned are' independent of each other and are intended t0 be protected individually.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view showing on the left the end of the bolster and the outside shoe in elevation; and showing on the right a section taken between the sets of springs, that is, thru the longitudinal center line ofthe columns.

' Figure 2 is generally a centralsection thru the bolster but illustrating the left shoes as a section. Figure 3 shows at the left a top plan view taken just above the bolster and at the right a plan with the bolster removed illustrating particularly the plan view of the shoes with the lateral movement and centering -rollers in position.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of one of the shoes. l

The side frame III is of usual construction meeting the present A. R. A. standards including spaced columns I I, spring plank I2, cushioning means here shown as a plurality of spring nests I4. A liner I5 is secured 'to each column as by the rivet I6 these liners being anchored securely to each column but nevertheless applied in such a way as to be removable should it be necessary in case of emergency to apply a standard A. R. A. bolster which could not be used with the liners in place. The liner I5,- as will be noted, extends beyond the inner margin of the inside and outside flanges of the channel shaped columns and engages the slightly thickened portion I1 at each side edge of the column.

The bolster 20 is not of standard construction butis narrowed somewhat at its two sends, this being an important feature of the invention as by such narrowing space is provided for the two liners I5. The bolster is hollow rectangular in end view or cross section and consists of top plate 2|, a bottom plate 22 and preferably having a central reinforcing rib 23 parallel to the side faces of the bolster. l While the top slightly sloping face 2| of the bolster is preferably smooth outwardly of the side bearing seat 25, the bottom plate 22 is concave toward its end providing two oppositely sloping surfaces 26 and 21 between which is a downwardly extending rib 28 forming a stop for the lateral motion rollers 30 which could, of course, consist of two rolling members one engaging the surface 26 and one engaging the surface 21 but I much prefer that at least two rollers in the surfaces which it engages. rollers'may be used as desired I have found that .two on each side give complete satisfaction. 'Ihe rollers engaging the surface 2l arelimited in in,-

ward movement by a stop lug 32 extending downwardly from the bottom wall 22 lof the bolster and' at the extreme end of the bolster the edge is bent downwardly and inwardly as at 33 to act as a stop similar to the projection 32.

While previous car stabilizing devices have been compressed exerting pressure against the opposed faces of the columns I propose in this mechanism to exert the snubbing pressure to the outside and. inside face of these side frame columns ii as in such design one force will oppose the other and this will relieve the existing side frame columns of punishment that might tend to set up bending and tension moments. I secure this result by forming the snubbing mechanism of two separate shoes 40 one of which is shown in Figure 4 in bottom plan view. These shoes are shown in front elevation in Figure l and consist generally of a pair of sliding plates 4I strengthened by rather sturdy vertical and horizontal ribs 42 and 43, respectively and joined together by a central horizontal plate 44 from which extend downwardly two elliptical bosses 45 which center the inner spring of the nests I4. The non-circular shape of these bosses permits lateral movement of the shoes as is required without unduly distorting the springs. From each horizontal plate 44 a sloping shelf 41 extends upwardly toward the longitudinal central plane of the sideframe I0, this shelf having surfaces such as 48 parallel to the proximate sloping surface 26 or 21 of the bolster. These sloping surfaces 48 of the shoes rollingly receive the members 30 and are bounded on the outside by the stop ribs 49 and on the upper and inner side by the terminal upstanding flange 50 which cooperates with the stop rib 28 of the bolster to limit thel sets of rollers in approaching each other. Strengthening ribs such as 5I, here shown as three in number, extend integrally between the bottom plate 44 and the shelf 41 these ribs being parallel to the side plates of the shoes, the side plates in fact themselves being strengthening ribs. n

The amount of friction exerted by the sliding plates 4I of the shoes against the inner or outer faces of the column, as the case may be, is exactly proportionate to the load supported and acts on both the expansion and contraction of the springs I4. In addition to the snubbing action lateral motion of the bolster is permitted by the provision of the rollers 3U and such lateral movement is limited by lugs 55 which upon full movement laterally of the bolster engage the heavy plate 4I of the shoe. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the bolster is automatically restored to mid-position by the action of the springs, for

example, when the bolster 20 moves to the right in this figure, the left or outside springsA I4 are compressed but the right or inside springs I4 are allowed to extend because the sloping side `21 moves to positon to allow the rollers to move upwardly. This unequal compression of the spring restores the bolster to mid-position. It will be noted that the bolster end at each side beyond the lug 55 is of uniform width and is narrower than standard to permit the addition of anchored liner I 5.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a side frame having spacedA columns, a bolster having an end vertically and horizontally movable between thecolumns, spring means carried by the side frame and supporting said end of the bolster, a snubbing device to dampen the movement of the bolster, and including lateral motion mechanism to dampen the movement as the bolster moves from side to side, said snubbing device including a member having a downwardly and outwardly supporting surface, said bolster having a sloping surface parallel to that of said member and rolling members positioned between said parallel surfaces and constituting a part of said lateral motion mechanism.

2. In combination, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster end vertically and horizontally movable between the columns and having two surfaces each sloping inwardly and upwardly toward the central longitudinal plane of the side frame, spring means carried by the said frame and supporting said bolster end, and a snubbing device to dampen the movement of the bolster, and including lateral motion mechanism to dampen the movement as the bolster moves from side to side, said snubbing device including two separate members each having a sloping face parallel to the proximate sloping face of the bolster end, and in which a plurality of rolling members are positioned between the sloping face of each of the two snubbing device members and the proximate sloping face of the bolster end.

3. In combination, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster having an end vertically and horizontally movable 'between the columns, spring means carried by the side frame and supporting said end of the bolster, and a snubbing device to dampen the movement of the bolster including a lateral motion mechanism to dampen the movement as the bolster moves from side to side, a portion of the lower face of said bolster end being concave and including at each side of the concave portion two sloping surfaces, the angle of the two surfaces to the vertical being the same, the snubbing device including two shoes each separately movable and in which a rolling member is positioned between each shoe and the concave portion of the bolster end, said bolster end is concave and includes at each side of the concave portion two sloping surfaces, the angle of the two surfaces to the vertical being the same, the snubbing device includes two shoes each separately movable and in which a rolling member is positioned between each shoe and the concave portion of the bolsterend.

4. A bolster end including a bottom plate having a bottomrsurface concave in cross section, a

centrally positioned stop lug, said concave portion including two plane surfaces sloping downwardly and outwardly from said central lug, and also including astop member at the lower side of Veach sloping surface and forming a boundary thereof.

5. In combination, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster having an end positioned between said columns, spring means supporting said bolster end upon said side frame, and a snubbing device to dampen movement of the bolster, said snubbing device exerting pressure on the inside and the outside faces of said side frame columns.

6. 'I'hedevice of claim 5 in which the snubbing device includes two shoes one of which engages the outside faces of both of the side frame co1- umns and the other of which engages the inside faces of both of the side frame columns.

7. The device of claim 5in which the snubbing device includes a lateral motion mechanism for snubbing lateral or horizontal movement of the the bolster upon the side frame, a pair of snubbing shoes one of which engages Athe outside faces shoe engages the inside faces of both of the side frame columns, and a lateral motion mechanism between the bolster and the two shoes.

9. In combination, a bolster having a pair of oppositely sloping plane surfaces, a pair of snub-v bing shoes positioned to be forced toward each other by downward movement of the bolster, a side frame, a plurality of springs supported by the side frame, and engaging one of said shoes, a second plurality of springs supported by the side frame and engaging the other shoe, whereby as the bolster moves to the right or to the left the inside or outside springs are compressed an unequal amount and such unequal compression in the springs tends to maintain the bolster in mid-position.

10. The device of claim 9 in which one shoe engages the outside faces of both of the columns of the side frame and the other shoe engages the inside faces of the column of the spring frame and in which rollers are provided between the bolster and each shoe.

l1. The device of claim 9 in which a plurality of rollers are positioned between each shoe and the bolster.

12. In combination, a side frame having a pair of spaced columns, a liner embracing the central portion of each column, a bolster having a narrow end vertically movable between the liners, a snubbing shoe having a friction face constantly engaging the inside face of each of said liners, and a, lug on said bolster end to engage said snubbing shoe to limit lateral motion of the bolster.

13. A snubbing shoe consisting of a single pair of vertically positioned curved sliding plates to frictionally engage a side frame column, and integral spacing means connecting said plates so that said plates may slidingly engage the inside or the outside faces of a pair of spaced columns.

14. In combination, a side frame having spaced columns, a member adapted to engage the outer face of each of the two columns, a bolster, and

" means to transform a portion of the downward force of the bolster into inward force of the shoe to engage frictionally the said columns.

15. A snubbing shoe consisting of a pair of vertical plates, an integral plate horizontally extending between the vertical plates, and a sloping shelf integral with the horizontal plate and with the two vertical plates, said sloping shelf affording a seat for lateral motion rollers.

16. In a truck, a side frame, a spring supported bolster, means for frictionally engaging both I sides of the frame upon application of vertical pressure to the bolster, and anti-friction means between the last mentioned means and the bolster.

17. In combination, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster having an end positioned between said columns, spring means supporting said bolster end upon said side frame, and a snubbing device to dampen movement of the bolster, said snubbing device having means for gripping one of said columns with a force proportional' to the compression of the springs.

18. The combination of claim 17 in which said gripping means grips both of the spaced colunms.

19. The combination of claim 1'7 in which said snubbing device. engages said bolster end, the engagement being such that members of the gripping means are forced toward each other into engagement with the inside and outside faces of the gripped column.

20. In combination, a side frame having spaced columns, a' bolster having an end positioned between said columns, spring means supporting said bolster end upon said side frame, means engaging said bolster for transforming vertical forces into horizontal forces transverse of the side frame, and shoes engaging the inside and outside faces of the columns, said shoes being connected to said means and to said springs whereby upon vertical movement of the bolster the pressure of the shoes against the columns is varied as said shoes move up and down.

21. In combination, a side frame having inside and outside faces, means located on the inside and means located on the outside of said frame for sliding on said faces, spring means for supporting a bolster end in said side frame, means for engaging said bolster end and said sliding means to transform vertical forces on the bolster end into substantially horizontal equal and opposite forces on the sliding means whereby the sliding means grip the side frame with a variable force as the sliding means and the bolster end move up and down.

22. A snubbing shoe consisting of a pair' of sliding plates each adapted to frlctionally engage one side only of a column and spacing vmeans rigidly connecting said plates.

ERNEST G. GOODWIN. 

